When the Snow Falls
by factoryrain
Summary: A story of Matthew Williams, Ivan Braginsky, and a chain of events including a tragedy of Ivan's past, recovery, relapses, love and happy endings. In the same au as Sweet, Sweet Feliciano. RusCan, platonic Franada and FraRus, and a tiny bit of GerIta. Rated T for slight language and abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! It's me again with a rather interesting new fic I've been dying to write for a while. This follows the same path as Sweet, Sweet Feliciano but I'm writing it to where you wouldn't need to read SSF to understand this.**

**This story is follows up Matthew and Ivan's story. This shows a lot of Ivan's past, his experience with his very, very toxic friendship with a boy named Maksimillian Orell (if you couldn't guess, he's General Winter)and a few rather tragic events that took place, causing him to struggle to live life normally.**

**Warnings include Cussing, animal abuse, mild violence and angst**

**I did a lot of research on Russia so I really hope I wrote him well enough. He's probably one of the most complex characters I've come across.**

**Enjoy**

**(PS, I had to edit Sweet, Sweet Feliciano a little, like Ivan is homeschooled instead of attending their school, stuff like that)**

* * *

❅❄❅ When the Snow Falls ❅❄❅

_"Stop being such a baby," Maksimillian said coldly towards Ivan, who sat across from him on the bed. Ivan nervously shifted around in place, trying not to look into the cold stare coming from Maks. "We're not going to get caught, now stop whining."_

_ "But that was Kat's necklace, I feel bad for taking it," Ivan muttered, his fear obvious. "She really likes it, too, we shouldn't have-" Maks extended his hand from his jacket pocket and slapped Ivan, just hard enough for the boy to fall over._

_ "… N-Nevermind." Ivan whispered, trying to hide the tears that streamed down his cheeks by wiping them away, hoping Maks wouldn't notice._

* * *

"Hey, Matt, I uh, kinda want to give you a reminder." Francis didn't look away from the road when he spoke_. It's weird_, Matthew thought, _he could be laughing for minutes straight and suddenly get serious._

They were on their way to pick up Francis's friend, Ivan, who Matthew had yet to meet. Ivan was homeschooled, and he didn't socialize much. Francis attempted to get him out of the house before when he and Matthew were doing something, but always declined.

"Ivan's… Still recovering. It isn't that I think you'll upset him at all; I just want you to know he says and does things that are a little out there. He can be scary, and if you're too uncomfortable, it's okay to tell him that. He gets touchy but I think that's when he gets to know you. He's reserved around strangers, but he'll probably warm up to you quickly." Francis let out a laugh, though the way he tapped his fingers nervously on the steering wheel had anxiety written all over it.

_Was he that worried?_ Matthew knew Francis had become friends with him in a therapy group, and his situation was difficult, but Francis never told him what exactly happened to him. 'He'll have to tell you himself, when and if you meet him' is all he said after Matthew had asked.

"And like most people who have been through something, he has his, err, break downs." Francis sighed. "They're unpredictable sometimes but thankfully Ivan doesn't have them as often anymore. But if it does happen, please stay calm." _Break downs? _Matthew thought to himself. _Like, violent ones?_

"He likes making friends and he's really excited about meeting you," Matthew blushed a little, flattered. "I just wanted to remind you about all that, everything should go fine, okay?"

"Okay," Matthew replied.

* * *

"_Ivan," Katyusha greeted her younger brother at the door when he arrived home from school. "We need to talk." Telling by her grim expression, he knew he was in trouble._

_Kat kneeled down in front of him and held out her hand. To his horror, the necklace him and Maks had stolen from her the week before lay on her hand. Deep remorse arose in his chest._

* * *

Francis pulled into the driveway of Ivan's house. It was a rather large house, a little older looking style-wise. Matthew looked up at it with awe, wondering how it would look on the inside.

Francis got out and shut the door. "Come on,"

"We're going inside?" Matthew unhooked his seat belt.

"Oui, come on," Matthew got out of the car and caught up with Francis

When he rang the doorbell, a woman's voice yelled from inside. "Come in!" Francis opened the door and they walked inside. A lady with short blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes near a large glass coffee table, covered in towels and socks. She sat in a wheelchair, smiling and waving happily. "Hello Francis, it's nice to see you again!" she called in a thick Russian accent.

"Katyusha," Francis approached her and hugged her tightly. "Need any help with this?"

"No, darling, I'm fine," she kissed Francis's cheek. "Is this Matthew?"

Francis nodded, Katyusha rolled the wheelchair over to take a closer look at him. "It's nice to meet you, Matthew. I'm Ivan's sister, Katyusha." She held her arms out to hug him. Matthew leaned over carefully, but she pulled him in and hugged him tightly. He was taken surprise at first but then softly laughed.

"Ivan's in his room," she let go of Matthew and moved back to her place at the coffee table. "Nice of you guys to get him out of his room, and he seems pretty excited about it." She took Francis's hand and kissed it. "Once again, thank you," she wiped a tear from her eye.

"It's no problem, Katyusha," Francis touched her cheek.

"Francis?" Matthew nearly flinched when the voice called and a very tall, large figure appeared in the room. He examined him, almost gasping. _Francis said he was attractive but dang, _Matthew stopped at that, shaking the thought away. He had an innocent, almost childlike face and a large nose, but there was just something about his almost silvery colored hair –probably soft– or maybe it was his brilliant purple colored eyes, much like his own, that completely threw Matthew off guard.

Matthew was also very fascinated in the way he dressed; normally for the most part with some jeans and a black coat, but the very long, light tan scarf around his neck gave him made him stand out. He looked fit, though a little chubby. Matthew liked that; He looked like a bear, and he _loves_ bears.

"Francis!" Ivan ran over to Francis like a kid would run for an ice cream truck and hugged him tightly. _Cuddliness runs in the family_, Matthew thought to himself, almost laughing. Ivan suddenly kissed Francis. Not like how Katyusha kissed him, but it was full on lip contact. Francis didn't seem to mind, and looked as though he expected to be kissed. Matthew took a look at Kat, she sat there smiling as if the whole thing was normal.

Ivan then approached Matthew, looking down at him with interest and curiosity._ Did it get a little cold in here_, Matthew thought to himself, smiling up at him. "I'm Matthew, nice to meet you." He told him, confidently, though he kept a mellow tone of voice. He had nothing to worry about, Francis assured him of that earlier.

Ivan gasped in excitement. "I'm," he cleared his throat and blushed a little bit. "I'm Ivan, and I'm happy I've finally gotten to meet you," The most Matthew expected was a hug, but like Francis, got a kiss on the lips. He froze in place, not knowing what to do. Ivan's lips were soft and cold on his, and it wasn't bad, just sudden. He instinctively grabbed onto Ivan's arms. When Ivan pulled away, he clung onto Matthew's arms back and giggled. Matthew blushed and looked at Francis; he just shrugged._ I just want you to know he says and does things that are a little out there, _Matthew remembered.

"It's nice to finally meet you, too, Ivan," Matthew kissed his cheek. _Casual kissing_, he thought, _I kinda like that._

* * *

"_Ivan," Kat touched the boy's shoulder. "Do not cry, I just want to know why you took my necklace." Ivan couldn't answer that. He didn't want to take it, nor was he the one who stole it in the first place._

* * *

Ivan let go of him and ran to his sister. "We're going," he kissed her on her right temple. "Tebya lyublyu, Kat," he pecked all over her head. "Will you be alright being here without me for a little while?"

"Yes, go have fun now, besides, I have Natalya," Kat laughed, giving his cheek a few kisses.

"Big brother," Matthew jumped, not noticing the younger girl who was standing behind him. He wondered when she showed up and how he didn't realize she was there. She looked much different from Kat and Ivan, face wise, and her hair was long. She had a very elegant look to her, she wore beautiful dress and her makeup was probably flawless. She glanced at Matthew with her dark blue eyes and looked back at her brother. "Are you leaving?" she asked in a worried voice.

"Yes Natalya, I'll be back tomorrow," he walked over and kissed her forehead. "I'll be fine,"

"Who is this?" she glanced back at Matthew.

"That's Matthew, a friend of Francis's."

"Okay," she hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Be careful," she took another glance at Matthew before letting go of Ivan and taking a place on the couch by Katyusha.

"I'll bring him back tomorrow morning," Francis assured them, grabbing Ivan's bag and walking towards the front door.

"Bye!" Ivan waved at his sisters and followed Francis.

It was nice to meet you!" Matthew added shyly, and went after the two at the door.

* * *

"_You know you're a piece of trash, right?" Maks said, taking a sip from his glass. Ivan didn't respond and swayed gently on his swing. He didn't know why Maks had to remind him again. "How long are you grounded?" he laughed._

"_For another week, I have to get back inside before it's another two weeks," Ivan hopped off his swing and fixed his scarf._

"_Bitch," Maks muttered, just loud enough for Ivan to hear him as he walked back into the house._

* * *

Ivan sat in the back, directly behind Matthew, and asked him questions the whole way to Francis's house.

"Do you like my sisters?" he asked, leaning over towards Matthew and putting his hands on the back of the seat he was sitting on.

"Yes, they both seem very nice," Matthew smiled.

"Really? You don't think they're strange?" he asked, surprised.

"No, not at all," Matthew replied.

"Do you have sisters?" He asked.

"No, two brothers, none of which are blood related to me," Matthew replied. "It's complicated but I come all the way from Canada, I've known my adoptive parents all my life but they took me in about 9 months ago, and my brother Alfred in 2 years ago" Ivan looked deeply interested at this point, so he continued. "I lived with my grandmother because my parents couldn't take care of me. But then she passed and my parents were nowhere to be found, so Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland took me in." Matthew looked at Ivan again, he now looked distressed.

"Oh no, don't worry about me, I um, I'm perfectly at peace with everything's that had happened." Ivan smiled a small smile. "So tell me about your…" he stopped, deciding that question is possibly the worse question to ask him. "… Self."

"Uhh… I dunno," Ivan looked down at the floor of the car.

"Ivan likes knitting," Francis cut in. Ivan got flustered.

"Who doesn't?" both Matthew and Ivan snapped back at him at the same time. Matthew gave him a comforting smile and giggled.

"Oh and Matthew likes cooking, too, you guys have some similar interests."

"I do like cooking," Matthew told him, avoiding any questioning. Ivan nodded and loosened his scarf.

Francis glanced at Matthew and mouthed, "Good job" at him. _This is nice_, Matthew thought, _Ivan doesn't seem so bad. Though, I do wonder what had happened to him._

* * *

_ Ivan picked himself up from the cold winter ground. Rubbing his swollen eye, he looked up at his one and only friend._

_ "You know," Maks told him, staring down at him with his sharp, icy eyes. "If you weren't such a wimp maybe you wouldn't get beat up."_

_ "Maks…" he reached out to him, just to get kicked right in the stomach. "Oh!" he cried. By the time Katyusha came running outside, Maks had left._

_ "Ivan, who did this to you?" she asked urgently, and before Ivan could yell out Maks, he found himself wondering what he would do without a single friend, and what Maks do if he told someone about what he did._

_ Ivan shrugged. "I don't know, Kat," he cried as Katyusha helped him into the house. What am I to do, he asked himself. The only answer he knew was nothing, he couldn't do anything else._

* * *

**Fun fact; Ivan canonly kisses people as a greeting. (In this story, since Francis has known him for awhile, he's quite used to it.) I don't know about ballet but he also canonly likes cooking and knitting.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll be sure to work on the next chapter very soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Happy August you guys! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, because I certainly had a tough time writing it.**

**And thanks for the kind reviews. This isn't a popular pairing and I was surprised to get two reviews already. Bless you guys.**

**Anyway, happy reading.**

* * *

❅❄❅ When the Snow Falls ❅❄❅

_"Hello there," a kind voice greeted Ivan. He looked up from his book and saw a new face._

_ "Hi," Ivan responded. The happy green eyes and the way the other boy clutched onto the things he was holding comforted Ivan; he clearly wasn't there to hurt him._

_ "I'm new here," The other replied. "And I saw the book you were reading. I love The Series of Unfortunate Events," he held out the book he was holding. "I'm on book four,"_

_ Ivan smiled sincerely at Toris. "I'm on book five, I'm a slow reader, though, and you may catch up to me if I'm not careful." Toris laughed._

_ "I'm Toris, what's your name?" he asked._

_ "My name is Ivan," he told him. "Wanna be friends?" Toris nodded excitedly._

_ Ivan couldn't help but notice Maks standing several feet away, watching. He didn't want to think of Maks, or if he cared about Toris talking to him. He made a new friend, that's what Ivan cared about most at the moment._

* * *

Upon arriving at Francis's house, Matthew wondered what sort things he and Ivan did when they were together. Every time he came over, the two of them would do all kinds of ridiculous things. Last time, they stole every pillow in the house, stacked them on Francis's small-sized bed and ended up wrestling on it. Last summer, they threw glow sticks into the fountain next door after dark and swam in it before getting caught. Because Matthew was a couple of years younger than both Ivan and Francis, he would not be surprised if they did more mature things. But, yet again, he couldn't imagine Francis doing something more 'grown-up' then making penis-shaped pancakes (which he, of course, didn't mind what shape they were in. Pancakes are pancakes, Matthew loved them to death.)

The first thing Matthew did was throw his bags down, slip off his jacket, and jump onto the bed. He laid his face comfortably on one of the soft pillows. Francis joined him, grabbing his legs and pushing him to the other side of the bed to make room for him. Matthew kicked at him, his giggles were muffled.

Ivan walked in soon after and removed his coat. "Hey, Ivan!" Francis called, pushing Matthew's legs away. "See that can on the dresser over there?" Matthew looked up from the pillow and glanced at the dresser. He squinted to read the label. _Silly string_, Matthew thought, _seriously?_

Ivan grinned and grabbed the bottle after discarding his jacket onto the floor. Francis held his hand out, only to be sprayed in the face instead. Francis stopped smiling and gave Ivan the look of 'I trusted you, but you betrayed me'. He gently brushed the colorful strings out of his hair.

"Now, now…" Ivan nailed him again; Francis spit some out of his mouth. "Oh this is war," Francis growled and grabbed his shoulders, throwing him onto the pillows. Matthew yelped and grabbed a large pillow to shield himself from the screaming French man and the massive amounts of silly string flying all around the room. The two eventually went quiet other than the sound of something hitting the floor across the room from them. Francis laughed evilly.

Matthew looked up from the pillow and grabbed his arm. Francis flinched and shot him a glare.

"You can't get it now," Matthew told him.

"Why can't I?" Francis asked.

"The floor is lava," Ivan giggled as Francis turned his head and stared down at his carpet. After a minute of silence, there was a quiet sound of chirping.

"Pierre #2, is that you?" Francis called, worried. He sat up and leaned forward a little, as if to listen more closely. A small white bird came into view from down the hall. It chirped back and landed on the doorknob of the bathroom door. Francis owned about 6 of them, all named Pierre, living together in a rather large cage in the living room. Francis let them out a lot, and how he trained them to be housebroken is a huge mystery.

"It's unsafe for you!" He cried loudly. "Stay there, I'm coming!" Francis crawled over Ivan and jumped down onto the discarded coat on the floor. He carefully put his feet up onto the bottom lining of the hallway walls and slowly scooted towards the door.

* * *

_The bell rang to return to class. Toris gathered his things and waved goodbye to Ivan before leaving. Ivan slipped his book into his bag, and to none of his surprise, he felt someone creep up by him._

"_Who was that?" Maks asked, sounding bitter._

"_Toris," Ivan gave a short answer, not looking up._

"_You told him to get lost, right?"_

"_Come on, Maks," Ivan got up and took Maks's wrist. "Let's get to class," Maks jerked his arm away from Ivan._

"_Yeah, come on," he grabbed onto Ivan's arm. Ivan cringed from the pain. "Let's get to class."_

* * *

Ivan sat up and brushed the silly string off his clothes. "Always an adventure coming over here," he laughed, glancing at Matthew.

"I'm not complaining," He set the pillow aside and grabbed a couple of strands out of Ivan's hair. His arm began to shake under Ivan's view; he quickly withdrew his hand and nervously ran his fingers through his own hair. Ivan didn't seem to notice Matthew's edginess and just chuckled, removing another piece from his shirt and putting it on Matthew's head.

Matthew smiled and brushed it out. He watched as the string feel down into the space between the two. "That's a nice scarf," he muttered and picked up one end. The light tan color didn't go too well with the long-sleeved, dark grey shirt he was wear, but it was pretty. Matthew ran a hand across the fabric, in awe of how lovely it felt. "It's so… Soft."

"Thanks," Ivan replied. "My sister made it for me years ago," Matthew looked at him, confused. _Years? How is it still in such a good condition?_

"Pierre #2!" Francis's voice brought their focus on the host, who was across the hallway, still scooting, slowly but surely, to his bird. "No need to worry, I have come to rescue you from the deadly flo-" The bird hopped off the doorknob and flew into the room. It landed on Matthew's knee, turning to look at Francis as if it was taunting him. "_Pierre #2!_" Francis squealed. He struggled to turn around without touching the floor. Ivan and Matthew watched, trying to hold in their laughter. "Oh forget it, I'm hungry." He stepped down from the lining and disappeared into the kitchen.

Matthew cupped his hands and gently picked up Pierre. The small bird chirped and looked back at him curiously. He was used to the birds flying around the house but as friendly as they were, one had never landed on him before.

Ivan gently petted its head with a finger. "I wonder how he knew which Pierre it was,"

"I'm almost sure he doesn't, he just wants to impress us," Ivan chuckled. Pierre jumped out of Matthew's hands and flew onto Francis's TV screen. "We should go with Francis, I'm starving."

"Yeah, but um," Ivan spoke, making a face. "Let's wash our hands first, birds are icky,"

Matthew laughed. "Alright, let's go then."

* * *

_"My parents wanted to move to Fletcher but we moved here instead," Toris sat by Ivan on the swing set. Toris lived on the next street over and they had decided to meet at the swings one afternoon. "Not that Wye isn't as nice. It would have just been more pleasant to be closer to my old friends,"_

"_How many friends did you have?" Ivan asked, curious._

"_A few, I'm not too good at socializing." He replied. "There was Eduard, Ravis and then my best friend Feliks. You should meet them someday, I'm sure they'll love you,"_

"_That sounds great," Ivan felt himself jitter in excitement._

"_Yeah, do you have any other friends?" Ivan's delight was instantly replaced with anxiety._

"_I do," he answered, quietly._

"_Who?"_

"_His name is Maks, he's my best friend," Ivan shuffled uncomfortably in place and sighed._

"_I'd like to meet him, and then the three of us can all be friends," Toris chirped happily._

"_Yeah," Ivan's stomach cramped up. "My sisters are expecting me to be home soon, I have to go."_

"_Okay, see you later," Ivan smiled slightly and got off the swing. "Have a good night, I enjoyed meeting you today!" Toris called._

"_I-I enjoyed meeting you, too," Ivan turned around and waved. "Good night, Toris," As he turned back around, Ivan sincerely felt happy again._

* * *

Matthew squirted some soap onto his hands and quietly rinsed. Ivan was a few feet away at the other sink. After drying his hands, he felt cold, wet droplets splash onto his back and neck. Turning around, Ivan flicked water at him again. Alfred did this to him, almost every night when they washed hands before dinner. Matthew, though, would play a little hardcore.

Ivan giggled and wiped his hands on the hand towel before heading out the bathroom door. Almost by habit, Matthew grabbed the hand towel that Ivan had left behind and rolled it up diagonally. _Smack_, Matthew had whipped him almost perfectly on his left butt cheek. Ivan jolted up and let out a squeal.

"Ivan, oh my goodness," Matthew dropped the towel, instantly regretting his actions. _What if Ivan was triggered by that sort of thing? _"I am so sorry, my brother Alfred does that to me and that's my immediate reaction but that's absolutely no excuse," Ivan burst into laughter.

"It's fine, Matthew," Ivan assured him, picking up the towel.

"Oh, good," Matthew giggled quietly. "You may hit me back if it isn't." Ivan put the towel up to his face and gently dried the tiny droplets that he flicked onto Matthew's face a few moments ago.

"Why would I hurt you, little Matthew?" Ivan kept his eyes on Matthew's. "You're so kind and gentle…" Ivan withdrew the towel and held it close to him. Matthew didn't reply, his cheeks turned red and he barely nodded.

"Mes amis," Francis walked in holding a bag of crackers in one arm and a can of spray cheese in the other. "It's snack time, and I can't do all the snacking," He glanced down at Matthew. "Ahh," Francis opened his mouth a little.

Matthew did the same back. Francis gently set a cracker partway in Matthew's mouth and sprayed cheese onto the other end. "Thank you," Matthew said, but the words came out inaudible.

Ivan opened his mouth the same way Matthew had done. Francis sprayed cheese on his nose. "Not so fun when it happens to you, huh?" Francis wiped the cheese off with a cracker and took a bite from it.

* * *

_"Ivan, darling," Ivan heard his sister call from the next room over. "Maks is here," Ivan gradually made his way to the doorway and peered out. The last time he was with Maks, he was still angry about Toris. Ivan was terrified, trying to think of a reason he had come over._

_Maks walked past Katyusha holding a bag. "I brought you something," he said in a calm, kind voice._

_Ivan scooted out from the doorway, feeling uneasy. "What?" He felt the need to ask why. Maks handed him the bag._

"_Your bookshelf looks empty, and you enjoy reading, right?" Maks was smiling, but Ivan couldn't help but feel like he was forcing it._

"_Yeah, I do," Ivan replied. "Thanks."_

"_Let's go play," Maks walked past him and headed to his room._

"_Oh, okay," Ivan followed after him. Maybe, he thought, maybe Maks is genuinely trying to do something nice for me._

* * *

Matthew was almost sure they all had moved every bit of food from the kitchen into the bedroom. At least it was an orderly feast neatly laid out on the floor. There was a large platter filled with at least 9 different kinds of chips, several liters of sodas, and even a plate piled with a mountain of marshmallows, complete with a tiny flag on the top.

They ate and had small talk, until Francis got a brilliant idea.

"Let's play 'never have I ever,'"

"Huh? We don't have any drinks," Matthew cut in.

"We can use the clothing method instead." Francis responded, crossing his arms.

"You just want to get naked," Matthew accused him.

"Hey, if I just wanted to get naked I would have done so already,"

"I want to play," Ivan interrupted Francis. "It sounds fun,"

"Okay then!" Francis rejoiced. "Ivan, you can go first."

"Never have I ever…" Ivan thought for a second. "Puked in public,"

Matthew gently removed one of his hockey wristbands. "I was 8, and I got sick on an amusement park ride," Francis and Ivan made a grossed out face.

"My turn," Francis began to think. "Never have I ever shaved my legs."

"We know," Matthew said, taking off another wristband. "This is the first time I've actually been the only one who has done things for this game," The two others giggled. "Never have I ever been drunk," they stopped snickering and tossed in a shoe each.

* * *

"_Ivan, where have you been?" Maks asked when Ivan arrived to the front of the school one Wednesday morning with Toris. Maks' voice startled him, but he took a deep breath and smiled, ignoring the rather vicious tone in his voice._

"_Toris and I walked to school together."_

"_We were supposed to walk to school together," Maks kept his eyes directly on Ivan's. Ivan felt himself start to get nervous._

"_I told you I was going to walk with-"_

"_And I told you were going to walk with me," Maks interrupted._

"_But," Ivan shuddered out, Toris touched his arm._

"_I'm going to class, see you later," Ivan just nodded at him._

_After Toris had left, Maks grabbed Ivan's hand and pulled him into the building. "Now let's get to class ourselves," Ivan bit his lip and followed after him; because why fight something you know you can't overpower, anyway?_

* * *

The game continued and slowly got more and more dirty. Matthew sat there with his shirt, pants and a sock left; Ivan had his shirt still on, but managed to give up his pants rather than his scarf. The game (thankfully) had ended before Francis could lose the only piece of cloth on his body that shielded the others from seeing a sight they don't want to see.

Francis called it quits and left the room with some empty bowls and plates. Matthew and Ivan continued talking and snacking. Ivan began to open up more and seemed to speak more freely to Matthew than he had in the car. He spoke all about the things he loved, like warm weather and flowers, and the trips to his hometown in Russia, though he didn't remember much about when he actually lived there. He laughed a lot, and rather sincerely. The more they talked, the more Matthew felt at ease around Ivan. Until he mentioned his trips to therapy, Matthew almost forgot all about what Francis had told him.

Francis walked into the room in a fast-paced manner. "We need to go, now," he pointed across the room to the discarded bottle of silly string. "Someone get that."

"Where are we going?" Matthew asked.

"To the park," Francis grabbed his shoes and a jacket and went to walk out the door.

"Don't you need your pants?" Ivan asked.

"I'll live, we need to go!" Francis threw on the jacket and slipped on his shoes. "You'll find out why in a minute,"

* * *

_ Maks seemed to constantly be everywhere Ivan was. He'd always come around with that large, intimating smile. Even if he wasn't around, Ivan swore he could feel Maks was watching him. Ivan tried to express his discomfort, though, but Maks always got defensive._

"_But Ivan, we're best friends."_

_And "After all that I do for, why are you trying to get rid of me?"_

_ It wasn't until about two full weeks of constant stare downs and guilt did the daily anxiety attacks start. They progressed from once a week to sometimes twice a day. Ivan began to constantly check his surroundings, even when he was alone in his bedroom. He started to not be able to sleep as well or much, and when he did, he kept his closet light on._

_ Slowly, he began to close himself off from his family and Toris._


	3. Chapter 3

❅❄❅ When the Snow Falls ❅❄❅

_ Ivan remembers very little of the details of the rest of his 7th grade year and the summer afterwards. Most aspects were unimportant, such as the many days he spent 'sick' and in bed reading, watching movies, or simply staring at the ceiling. Every once in a while, Toris would come by and hang out with him. Ivan loved it when he did, though he never knew what to say most of the time._

* * *

Francis strutted down the street from his house wearing his jacket, worn-down tennis shoes, and bright blue boxers. Matthew was almost used to this, though he and Ivan still had no clue where he was headed when it was late in the afternoon and getting cold outside already.

"Francis, please tell us where we're headed now," Matthew asked.

"Store," Francis answered. There was a convenience store not far from the house, about a 3 minute walk. Even so, they always drove when they needed to get something from the store.

"On foot?" Matthew asked.

"In a hurry?" Ivan added.

"… Yeah basically,"

"What are you playing at?" Matthew questioned. Francis took out his phone.

"It's almost six; we're picking up some mini, multi-colored marshmallows from the store and going to the old playground. But we need to hurry."

Matthew shook his head. "Why?"

"Gilbert told me a certain Spaniard is meeting someone there,"

"Francis no," Matthew sighed.

"Francis yes,"

"I'm confused," Matthew patted Ivan on the back lightly.

"So am I, it's better to just stand back and watch it unfold rather than question it."

"Ah,"

When the three entered the store, the cashier eyed Francis.

"Sir, where are your pants?" the lady asked, her eye twitching in annoyance as if she had to go through this kind of situation before.

"Home," Francis answered.

"I, uh-" she stopped talking when Francis pointed to sign next to the door. _No shirt, no shoes, no service, _it read.

"I meet the requirements, and pants are not on the terms and conditions,"

The cashier sighed and folded her arms. "very well,"

"Come Mattieu, Ivan, no time to spare," he took both their arms and led them down an isle to the marshmallows. After paying, they left for the children's playground down the street. Well, it wasn't much of a playground anymore. Since a new one opened up, nobody paid any more attention to it.

"Okay, so let me get this straight; we came here around 6 in the afternoon to throw marshmallows at Antonio?" Matthew asked when they entered through the gate.

"Basically, and his date or whatever, but we aren't supposed to know they're coming here," Francis explained.

"Who's his date?"

"I'm not sure, he didn't tell Gilbert, but I'm sure it's Belle,"

"I don't think so," Matthew explained. "He never seemed interested in her, plus her brother hates him,"

"And that's why they're meeting up in secret, then!"

"What about that guy he was with when we ran into him after group time?" Ivan cut in.

"Who?" Both Matthew and Francis questioned.

"You know, the Italian one? Angry looking? Twiddles his fingers?"

"Oh, Lovino Vargas," Francis laughed. "I would give you five dollars if it's Lovino. There's no way he'd agree to doing something like meeting up with Antonio in a park alone."

"Deal," The two shook hands and then they all climbed into the old playhouse in the center of the park. Because the sun was setting, they were well hidden. Ivan and Matthew sat while Francis paced around and kept watch.

"I hope we're not out here too long," Matthew told Ivan, but was shushed by Francis.

"Inside voice, Matthew, you'll blow our cover if they're here already," Francis whispered sternly.

"Sorry Francis,"

"Are you afraid of the dark?" Ivan whispered to him.

"Hm? Not really, just it's dangerous to be out in the dark, and cold."

"I'm sure Francis wouldn't keep us out here this long,"

"I sure hope not,"

"And if he does, I'm sure we'll be alright,"

"Shh!" Francis hushed him louder than he was talking.

"I was being quiet," Ivan whispered, trying to be even quieter.

"No, shh!" Francis bent down and covered Ivan's mouth with his hand. "Antonio just walked through the gate." They all peered out the bars, sure enough, Antonio was there.

"What if he comes up here?" Ivan asked.

"We'll escape down the slide," Francis replied.

"Wait, he stopped. Perfect,"

"Hm, good, in reach, too. It's past six, where's our date?"

"Fashionably late,"

"Wait, wait, I see someone,"

"Really? Male or female?"

"Can't tell, it's too dark,"

"I see them, too… Wait,"

"They walked right past, it wasn't them,"

"Damn,"

"Matthew, swear,"

"Sorry, Francis,"

"Hold up,"

"What is it, Ivan?"

"Someone else is walking up," All three boys squinted at the direction.

"Not Belle, completely different body type,"

"Well, I'm sure it can't be- Shit that's Lovino,"

"Francis, swear,"

"Francis, five dollars please,"

"Oh cher,"

"Wow, no wonder he's late, he dressed up quite nicely,"

"That's so unlike him,"

"I can't believe I didn't see this coming, and Ivan did,"

"Maybe I just pick up on things you don't,"

"Guys hush I want to hear what they're saying,"

"… Is calling someone a jerk some sort of expression of feelings now?"

"No, that's just Lovino, he doesn't mean it, and he's smiling with his eyes,"

"I like Antonio takes it without thought and continues to talk to him nicely,"

"Oh! Antonio's reaching for his hand,"

"Look at Lovino's face; it's turning red,"

"Oh my God, he's touching his hand now,"

"How sweet,"

"How gross,"

"Matthew, it's not gross, it's romantic, see?"

"Ugh! Francis don't do that!"

"Hold my hand, Matthew!"

"No!"

"Guys, hush, I think they heard you,"

"… Okay we're safe,"

"They got pretty close to each other,"

"If they start making out, I swear,"

"They're taking it slow,"

"Aw, Toni pecked his forehead,"

"… Now they look like they're slow dancing,"

"I really didn't think Lovino had a side like this,"

"Hold up,"

"Damn,"

"Matt- Oh. Damn,"

"So much for taking it slow,"

"Do I see tongue?"

"Yes,"

"Gross,"

"Yeah, quick, throw a marshmallow at them."

"Okay,"

"… You missed, let me try,"

"… Oh, good shot,"

"They didn't notice, Ivan you try,"

"Okay,"

"Maybe we should try throwing a handful,"

"Good idea,"

"I got one to stay in Antonio's hair,"

"Good job Matthew,"

"I think they're onto us,"

"Lovi noticed the one in his hair,"

"Oh shit, he's staring right in our direction,"

"We need to go," Matthew grabbed Francis's shoulder and Ivan's arm. "Our cover's blown," Before Matthew could pull Francis away, he reached into the bag of marshmallows and pulled out a huge handful.

"Wait," He eyed Matthew and Ivan.

"Francis, no," Ivan gasped.

"You're not," Matthew held in a laugh.

"But I am," Francis chunked the wad of marshmallows down. Upon hearing Lovino shout 'Francis!, Francis grabbed them both. "Run!"

The three managed to escape after being chased down by Lovino, who was yelling and covered in pastel-colored marshmallows, and Antonio, who was probably just following after, laughing loudly. Lovino gave up after racing after them for three or so blocks, luckily. They stopped rushing by the time they were in Francis's yard.

"That was great," Matthew gasped, sitting down in the grass.

"I just hope Antonio isn't too mad," Francis laid by him, laughing.

"Not as mad as Lovino,"

"True, let's get inside, it's cold,"

"You really should have grabbed your pants before we left,"

"Hush,"

* * *

_Visits became rare once time went on, Toris made new friends, and Ivan didn't make much effort to spend much time with him. Ivan saw less of Maks, too. At first, he was scared of losing them as friends, but he found himself not caring._

* * *

When they arrived back into Francis's room, they found that the Pierres had taken care of some of the food they left from before.

"I hope they don't get sick from eating any of that," Matthew uttered.

"They've eaten pencils, toilet paper, and out of the trash before. They'll be fine," Francis replied, picking up some of the plates. "I'll make something, just relax,"

"Are you sure?" Matthew asked.

"Oui, go share some marshmallows with Ivan, I'll be back," Francis handed him the bag and winked.

"Ah, okay," Matthew sat on the bed and watched Francis leave the room. Ivan entered the room holding a five dollar bill moments later. "How did you know it was Lovino?"

"Well," Ivan sat by him. "Once Francis and I decided to hang out after therapy one day and we happened to see them at the post office. I'm guessing I caught onto the chemistry between them when Francis did not,"

"Wow, you're just naturally able to tell if someone's interested in someone?"

"Not really," He laughed. "I saw them holding hands, Francis didn't."

"And you still made him bet?"

"I didn't make him bet, and I didn't care much about getting the money." He explained. "I just wanted to see the look on his face." Matthew erupted into laughter. "But that's just between you and me, okay?"

"I won't tell him, I promise,"

"Okay, good,"

The two spent the next half hour watching TV and talking about their favorite shows while sharing a blanket.

"So you've watched all of Breaking Bad, Pushing Daisies, Archer, Doctor Who, including the classic series, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Office, American Horror Story, _and_ House?" Matthew asked, surprised.

"Yes, I'd be surprised if you named something I haven't seen,"

"How about Dexter?"

"Seen it,"

"Scrubs?"

"I love Scrubs!"

"… Sherlock?"

"Watched that one a month ago,"

"Hm…. Bob's Burgers!"

"Seen that, too,"

"Damn it!"

"Swear!"

"What haven't you seen?"

"I haven't seen Community yet,"

"You _haven't_?"

"Nyet, not yet,"

"You need to!"

"Well of course,"

"Food!" Francis came into the room holding a pan. The room filled with the nice smell of freshly cooked beef and veggies covered in soy sauce.

"That smells nice, what is it?" Matthew sat up and brushed his hair back.

"Beef stir-fry," Francis replied, bringing the dish closer to him so he can see. "I see you two are getting pretty comfortable around each other." Francis gave them a look. Matthew realized he was lying awfully close to Ivan, but that's only because the blanket was so small, and maybe because Ivan was warm.

"Da, Matthew and I were just talking and watching TV,"

"Cute, now come on, let's go eat,"

* * *

_Life felt almost unreal; as if his soul was hanging onto his body from a thread. Ivan clearly remembered the melancholy sensation that he held on his shoulders even in the future. He wished he appreciated isolation during that moment of his life._

* * *

Later, Matthew got dressed in his night clothes and returned to the room. Francis was in nothing but his boxers and socks and Ivan walked passed him to change in the bathroom. Francis looked up from his phone and laughed when he saw him.

"Are those polar bears?" Matthew glanced down at his new set of pajamas his foster mom had gotten him a month before.

"Yes," Matthew replied, his face flushing. "Does it look bad?"

"Nope, it suits you, you know," Matthew sat by Francis on the bed. Francis put his phone away and tugged on the sleeve of Matthew's shirt. "I didn't have a chance to ask you before but you like Ivan, no?"

"Well, of course I do," Matthew grinned. "He's really sweet and kind and we like the same things."

"I thought so," Francis responded, sitting up. "I knew you two would hit it off. And sorry about the whole kissing thing from earlier today. I didn't think he'd do that." Matthew stomach flipped, remembering Ivan's weird greeting when they met.

"It's fine, he just scared me a little," Matthew laughed.

"You're blushing,"

"I am?"

"Yeah," Francis put an arm around him. "Did you get his number yet?"

"What?!" Matthew huffed.

"Come on, he may be a little weird but-" Francis stopped talking when Ivan entered the room. He was wearing one of those brown bear onesies with ears on the hood. Matthew stared at it in awe, as if Ivan didn't already remind him of a huge teddy bear.

"I'm back,"

"I see," Francis answered back. "I wasn't told we were all wearing bear pajamas."

"But Francis, you're hairy enough to be a bear!" Matthew laughed. Francis pinched his cheeks.

"And you're cute enough to be my cub, come here!" Matthew jumped up before Francis can grab onto him.

"No!" Matthew shouted, laughing.

"Come back here my child!" Francis called. Matthew ran and hid behind Ivan.

"You're not my real dad!"

"Mother wouldn't have wanted this!" Francis chased Matthew in circles around Ivan before catching him and holding him tightly. "Ah, your pajamas are soft."

"Not so silly, now are they?"

"They're still pretty silly, not as silly as Ivan's though."

"Hey! My sister bought me this, and I love it!" Ivan snapped, laughing. "Though it is a little funny looking."

Francis jumped onto the bed. "So what are we going to do the rest of tonight?"

"Video games or cat videos sound alright," Matthew answered, sitting by him and taking a pillow.

"I'm in!" Francis shouted.

After a couple of hours or so of playing the PS3, Francis had fallen asleep, snoring loudly and drooling onto his pillow with one of his hairy legs touching Matthew's leg. All three of them were crowded onto his bed with Matthew in the middle holding up his phone while he and Ivan watched videos on the internet.

"He's loud," Ivan whispered.

"You don't have to whisper, he won't wake up," Matthew stated, shifting a little under the covers.

"Oh," Ivan replied, yawning.

"Getting tired?"

"Yeah," Matthew glimpsed at him. Ivan was laying by his shoulder, trying to keep his eyes open.

"We should call it a night,"

"Yeah,"

"I have some ear buds if you can't sleep through the snoring."

"That'll be great," he sat up. "I'll get them. Where are they?"

"Small front pocket on my bag, thanks," Ivan got off the bed and returned with the ear buds. Matthew took them and plugged them into his phone with his headphone splitter. "I hope you like ballet music."

"Ballet music sounds nice," Ivan's voice got softer as he lay back down by Matthew. "Oh, Matthew,"

"Huh?"

"I'm… Really glad I got to meet you… Finally."

"Finally?" Matthew handed him his pair of ear buds.

"Da," He took them and put one in his ear. "Francis always talked about how good friends we would be and how he really wanted us to meet."

"And he was right," Matthew smiled warmly at him. "I'm really glad I got to meet you, too."

"Really?"

"I'm serious," Ivan scooted closer, their foreheads touched.

"Um…" Ivan bit his lip. "Did Francis… Tell you?"

Matthew thought for a minute; _He must be talking about his past_. "No, he didn't tell me,"

"Oh, uh, I…"

"It's okay, whatever it is, I'm not here to judge you," Matthew tried thinking of a better reply. "And you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to,"

"You sure?"

"Yes, let's go to sleep."

"Alright," Ivan's voice was quieter. "I will tell you one day, though,"

"Whenever you're ready," Matthew felt him nod. He pressed play on the music and put in his other ear bud. He closed his eyes and felt Ivan kiss his temple.

"Good night, Matthew," He could feel the bed tremble from Ivan's side.

"Good night, Ivan," In the dark, he couldn't see Ivan's face. He felt around and touched his hair; he heard a whimper and moved to kiss his forehead. Ivan slowly grabbed onto his shirt and burrowed his head into the crook of his neck. Matthew relaxed and slowly stroked his arm.

_Oh Ivan_, he thought, _maybe the kindest people fight the hardest. _Ivan's clutch eased as he fell asleep. Matthew closed his eyes and dozed off soon after. _Whatever happened to you, I hope you'll move past it completely one day._

* * *

_An important detail of that summer, though, was the first time Ivan truly felt real fear. All the torture had jaded him before, but nothing could prepare him for the terror of the first time in forever Maks had come over. He wouldn't have guessed he would had taken out a small hand gun and held it up to his head, grinning as if he wasn't a movement away from ending someone else's life._

_ "Hey Ivan, wanna do me a favor?"_

* * *

** Hey, so it's the end of summer. **** I'm glad to see several people are enjoying it so far, so here's a nice long chapter before school starts up. If anyone sees any spelling/grammar errors, please tell me so I can fix it. Thanks for reading and good night!**


	4. Chapter 4

❅❄❅ When the Snow Falls ❅❄❅

_ Ivan walked cautiously into the grocery store. Just take a pack, he told himself, and walk out. He took a deep breath. It will be easy, right? He approached the display of cigarettes. He quickly took a pack and put it in his pocket. He looked around and began to walk out._

_ "Hey kid," the man at the counter called. "Doing okay?"_

_ "Yes sir," Ivan's voice was shaking._

_ "Can you come here for a second?"_

* * *

Matthew was greeted by a ceiling and hair in his mouth when he woke up the next morning. He wiped his eyes and removed out the lock of his hair from his lips. Francis, who was halfway on him, was still slumbering and slobbering. Ivan was the same, only his face was faced-down in his pillow. Matthew gently lifted each limb one-by-one off of his body until he was able to at least sit up. Perhaps all of them sleeping in the same bed wasn't the best idea. Sleeping in the middle of the two was an even worse idea.

He spotted his phone and ear buds in the spot he was laying in. He picked it up and checked the time. 8:17 a.m., he read. He glanced up at the battery percentage; _at least the battery survived the night_. He retrieved both pairs of ear buds and unplugged them before tossing them to his overnight bag.

Matthew crawled over the sleeping Frenchman, quietly slipping off the bed. He plugs his phone into the charger. It's so boring, he tells himself, to be the first one to wake up. His stomach growled noisily, he wordlessly prayed there was something to eat.

When he opened the refrigerator in the kitchen, he spotted a nice container of cinnamon buns. Rejoicing, he began preparing them. After he put the buns in, he heard footsteps coming from the hall behind him.

"Okay," He turned to see Ivan walking out slowly into the kitchen, sporting sleepy eyes and major bed-head with his ear pressed against his cell phone. "I just woke up, but I'll get my stuff ready." He sat down at the counter and smiled sleepily at Matthew. "Yes, we had fun… No, no trouble at all… I know. I'll tell you about it when you pick me up… Okay mom, love you, too… Bye." He removed the phone from his ear and hung up.

"You're about to leave?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah, mom likes to get me home before she leaves for work. Katyusha also needs help cleaning the bathroom today." Matthew chuckled.

"That's how it was for me for a while, until Arthur started driving. I don't like bothering him too much, though,"

"Arthur is your oldest brother?"

"Yeah, the calmer one," Matthew replied as the oven beeped. "Want a cinnamon bun?" he asked.

Ivan nodded. "They smell nice,"

"Thanks," he took them out of the oven.

"I'll help you ice them,"

"Okay,"

The two stood close as they covered the pastries with icing without any more words. Matthew hummed to replace the silence in the room. Ivan began to hum with him when his phone went off.

He set his knife aside and pulled out his phone. "My mom's here," he quickly replied before handing his phone to Matthew. "I uh, I need your number before I go." Matthew nodded.

"Go ahead and get your stuff," Ivan disappeared down the hall.

Matthew entered his number into Ivan's phone and set it on the counter. _Too bad he couldn't have breakfast_, he thought. Ivan returned with his bags. "Do you need held with that?" he asked him.

"No, I got it," Ivan replied. "But give me a hug, I kinda can't," he beamed shyly.

"Oh, right," Matthew approached Ivan and hugged him tightly.

"One last thing," Ivan whispered to him before he pulled away.

"Yes?"

"Can you get one of those cinnamon buns for me?"

"Oh sure," Matthew let go of him and picked up his knife. After carefully getting one out of the bunch, he held the pastry up to Ivan. "How are you going to..?" Ivan took the bun with his mouth. "Oh,"

"Mmm, so gmm," Ivan muffledly laughed.

"What was that?" Matthew giggled.

"Is tashy," he responded.

"Oh, it's good?"

"Ya, I need phone,"

"Right!" Matthew grabbed the phone and slipped it into his pocket. "Don't keep her waiting,"

"See you, Matru, glaff to have met you!" Matthew opened the door for him. "Thank you," He watched as Ivan left.

"Glad to have met you, too, Ivan! See you later,"

"Hopefully soon," Ivan turned his head and smiled at him. Matthew waved goodbye and closed the door.

* * *

"_I can't believe it,"_

"_At least he let us off without a fine,"_

"_That's beside the point, he tried stealing cigarettes,"_

_Ivan lay in bed with the covers over his head. He's been grounded to his room for the whole rest of the summer. Not being able to see Maks till school was a bittersweet blessing, and because of that, Ivan dreaded going back even more._

_Every night, his parents came into his room and asked him the same question. "Why did you do it?" He always told them he didn't know when the real answer was he was afraid for his life._

_After everyone had gone to bed, and has been in bed, that night, Ivan got out from under his covers and went to the kitchen. The fridge door opened to a half-empty bottle of vodka._

_Ivan recalled the time he asked his mom and dad why they drank alcohol. "It's how adults cover up stress, darling," they told him. And that night, Ivan decided to try just that._

* * *

Matthew spent the next hour watching TV and sharing breakfast with one Francis's birds like every other morning he spends at Francis's residence. With his plate aside, he relaxed into the comfortable sofa.

"Hey, where's Ivan?" Francis asked, jumping over the back of the couch and sitting down next to Matthew.

"Maple Francis!" Matthew flinched and fell over. He shoved his friend with his foot. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Oui, sorry," Francis took hold of his foot, squeezing it. Matthew pulled it away from him and sat back up. "Did he leave?"

"He left an hour ago," Matthew told him.

"Dang," Francis sat further back, taking a deep breath. "So,"

"So… What?"

"I'm still a rock star,"

"Francis, no,"

"Okay, so…" Francis smiled deviously at him. "Did your big bear kiss you good bye?" Francis made a kissy face at him.

Matthew knitted his eyebrows. "No,"

"Huh?"

"He… Didn't."

"Well, that's odd,"

"So was that question,"

"I'm just playing around. Aren't you interested in him, though?" Francis asked, leaning over to lay his head on Matthew's arm.

"I guess _interested_ would be a good word for it," Matthew felt the top of his ears redden.

"How interested, though?"

"He like the same things as I do, and he's attractive, so…" Francis let out a laugh and reached up to pinch Matthew's cheek. "I'm not even sure if a relationship sounds nice or not, so don't even think of meddling,"

"Oh, Matthew! Of course not, and besides, getting to know and trust someone takes time. Especially on his part, though I'm sure he knows you mean no harm. I also know relationships are between two people, if and as desired, but I'm willing to help out if you need it,"

Matthew let out a sigh. "Does he even like guys?"

"I wouldn't be teasing you and him if I didn't know for sure,"

"You've discussed your fantasies about me and him to him?" Matthew squeaked.

"Shh, Matthew," Francis held a finger over his lips. "My conversations with him are strictly between him and I, as ours' are kept away from his ears. Oh, say, did you get his number?"

"No but I gave him mine…" Matthew felt around. "Oh hockey sticks, my phone's in your room," Matthew got up and ran for the room.

"Don't keep him waiting, mon cher!" Francis laughed.

* * *

_Ivan's drinking progressed over the summer months. Every day that passed, the more Ivan felt the need to feel the buzz from a few sips of his_ _mom's vodka or his dad's tequila. Life was becoming a drinking game for him. For every night run, a shot, for every time the rest of the house was empty, two shots, for every time Maks crossed his mind, three._

_When he felt repentance for drinking or stealing his parent's drinks, he would simply drink more so he would forget he even felt emotion. The days coming up for him would just get harder, why should he dread them like he was shrinking away from the present as it is?_

* * *

(8:45) From 223-495-1137:  
Matthew! It's Ivan!

(9:07) From 223-495-1137:  
Hello? Did you enter the right number? You might just be busy. I'll talk to you later than.

Matthew nearly smacked himself in the forehead. Oh, how could he have given him his number and forget to reply to his messages? He added Ivan's number to his contacts and quickly replied.

(10:21) To Ivan:  
Sorry! I left my phone in the Francis's room to charge and I got distracted with Sunday morning cartoons and food.

Matthew walked back into the family room and sat down by Francis.

"Did he text you?"

"Yeah."

"What did he say?"

"What do you think he said?"

"Oh, Matthew, it's been so long already!" Francis threw himself across Matthew's lap. "My heart is growing with longing desire to see your sweet little Canadian face again,"

Matthew covered his face with his hands. "Francis…!"

"Come run away with me to mother Russia and feast upon hot Shchi and vodka before we make sweet, sweet illegal love in Putin's bed," Matthew and Francis were both choked up with laughter for the next few minutes. Matthew's phone went off. He wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath before checking the message.

(10:24) From Ivan:  
It is fine. Francis up? He always sleep late.

(10:24) To Ivan:  
Surprisingly he's been up for a while now

"Hey!" Francis grunted and took Matthew's phone.

(10:25) To Ivan:  
Francis needs his beauty sleep so he stays fresh and sexy anyway

Francis hit send and set Matthew's phone on his lap. Matthew sighed and turned his attention back to the TV. "We kinda cuddled last night."

"Oh what kind of cuddling are we talking about?" Francis asked.

"The only kind of cuddling there is?" Matthew looked at him confused.

"Non, was it just cuddling or was it ohh~ cuddling?"

"The kind of cuddling we do, Francis, only… It was a bit more... Touchy and emotional, if you will."

"Ohhh…" Francis smirked. "Why do you say that?"

"I well… I might have been comforting him. He asked if I knew, and I told him no. And he teared up a little."

"And then?"

"He kissed me here," Matthew pointed to his temple. "So I kissed him here," He moved his finger to his forehead. "And then we cuddled."

"Matthew, you kids are so touchy already," Francis shook his head. "I hope you know what comes with being with someone with emotional and some physical scars." Matthew nearly gasped. _Physical_?

"I know,"

"Matthew, really, it wouldn't be anywhere near the same as when you had to deal with me. I took my frustrations out much earlier and I never depended on anyone for my recovery. I don't mean stop liking Ivan due to his past or present struggles, be it you're his friend or lover, but don't let him think he can depend on you or someone else for his own recovery. Help him, but don't lead him astray."

Matthew nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Francis smiled. "I'm sure you can handle it, I was troublesome the many times I relapsed,"

"Not really, you just cried a lot sometimes. Arthur did get onto me for us running out of tissues though," They both laughed, Francis forcibly hugged Matthew, sending them back down onto the couch.

"You're a good friend, Matthew, I'm sure Ivan's in good hands,"

"He has you, too."

"But I'm sure he'll get closer to you than me," Matthew patted Francis's head. His phone went off again.

(10:31) From Ivan:  
That was Francis no?

* * *

_First day of 8__th__ grade, Ivan almost instantly faced Maks upon being dropped off by Katyusha. Only this time, Maks had some friends with him._

"_Heard you got grounded after stealing," Maks had the cocky tone of voice Ivan was not looking forward to on hearing at all for months._

_ "I did,"_

_ "Were you in jail?"_

_ "No,"_

_ "How did you get away with it?" Ivan shrugged, all the boys laughed._

_ "That's awesome."_

"_We'll catch you later, Ivan," That was it. They left. Ivan almost denied the event as a whole. He adjusted the strap of his bag and entered the building._

* * *

**Author's Note:**** I basically wrote 98% of this chapter in a day. I was just so bored up until Francis waking up.  
**

**Anyway, a few things to note here:**

**I usually don't make what specific sexualities characters are clear but if anyone's curious Francis is a pansexual, Ivan is homosexual and Matthew is bisexual.**

**Shchi is a type of hot soup, made with cabbage.  
**

**I have no choice but to reveal Francis's back story in a later chapter. Be looking forward to that.**

**I'm still laughing about the whole "make sweet, sweet illegal love in Putin's bed" thing like I have been for the past 2 hours.**

**And lastly, a little something to know about being with someone with depression or any other mental illness; falling in love doesn't fix your problems. A lot of people seem to learn this the hard way. I've had bad experiences with this sort of thing. And I don't mean you have to depend on yourself 100%, if you can't handle your demons, get professional help, talk to a family member, friend, lover. Just depending on someone else completely isn't a bright idea, and Francis wants both Matthew and Ivan to avoid this situation.  
**

**I think that's all of it. Have a good night everyone, I hope this installment was satisfying. I love you all! Mwah!**


	5. Chapter 5

❅❄❅ When the Snow Falls ❅❄❅

_Ivan's worries were as distant as his friendship with Toris that year. Toris has his friends, and Ivan had his. Maks's friends instantly took him in. They were much different from him, but soon he was meeting up with them after school and being invited out every weekend. His parents and sisters were happy he was going out; their concerns were fading._

_ When October came around, Ivan spent Halloween dressed head to his shoes in black with Maks and Mathias Køhler while wrapping a stranger's home with a whole bag of toilet paper. He lived over at Maks's house during Thanksgiving break and got down at least a pint of tequila a night._

* * *

(10:04) From Ivan:  
Nat wants to dance

(10:04) To Ivan:  
Aww, dance with her

(10:06) From Ivan:  
Can't

(10:07) To Ivan:  
Come on Ivan, dance with your sister!

(10:09) From Ivan:  
She's 12 and dances much better

(10:10) From Ivan:  
I look like a goof dancing

"Dude, Matthew," Alfred tapped on the kitchen table in the direction of his younger brother, who had his nose in his phone. "I've never seen you use that thing this much, what's up?" Matthew looked up from the message on his screen.

"Just talking to a friend, that's all," Matthew slightly glanced and grinned down at the screen.

(10:10) To Ivan:  
I'm sure she doesn't think so

"Oh that's nice," Alfred smiled at him. "Doing anything today?"

"Nope," Matthew set his phone down. "Why?"

"I'm supposed to meet up with some friends today and show the new guy around," Alfred scratched the back of his head. "His name is Kiku, he's not too bad. I didn't think you'd be left home alone, so if you want to come…" Matthew's face promptly lit up.

"Oh, of course!" Matthew answered. "When?"

"I told Kiku I'll be picking him up a little before noon, so get ready."

"Okay!" Matthew looked back down at his phone.

(10:11) From Ivan:  
She does. She just told me herself.

(10:12) To Ivan:  
That's funny, thought you would learn a thing or two from all the dancing shows you watch

(10:15) From Ivan:  
You can watch someone draw for hours and not pick up any skill.

(10:16) To Ivan:  
That's true.

* * *

_He attended eight parties during December; half being hosted by someone he's never spoken to. The parties were filled with many older students, so Ivan was a complete foreigner. He would see some again, and eventually become friends and be invited to even more events. He woke up half naked with his shirt around his neck and his pants nowhere to be found the morning of Christmas Eve, about a mile away from where he was the night before. He stole a wooden chair from one house during New Year's, which ended up sitting in Maks's garage until they sooner or later threw it out._

* * *

Alfred was a terrible driver; Matthew wouldn't be surprised if, based on Kiku's reaction, he wasn't warned beforehand. Poor Kiku Honda didn't talk as much as telling both of them hello for the whole ride whereas Alfred chatted away while swerving and causing both Kiku and Matthew to panic for what felt like an hour on the road. When they finally reached a parking space at the plaza, Kiku crawled out of the car and sat on the curb for a good minute.

Matthew kneeled down in front of him. "I'm really sorry,"

Kiku beamed up at Matthew. "It's fine, I just hope we aren't driving back in the dark." Matthew patted his shoulder.

"Come on guys, we're late!" Alfred interrupted.

"Not really," Kiku pulled up his jacket sleeve and looked at his watch. "We're pretty early,"

Alfred pointed towards the fountain. "But Ludwig and Feliciano are already here,"

"They're just really, really early then," Kiku got up and brushed his pants off.

"Alright, whatever, let's just go already,"

As the three approached the two at the fountain, Alfred let out a sound of disgust. "Hey!" Matthew winced from the intensity in his brother's voice. "You two are in public!"

"We were only holding hands, chill out," Ludwig barked back. He glanced over to Matthew. "Who is…?"

"Oh this is Matthew, my younger brother. He didn't want to stay home alone so I brought him." Matthew peeked out from behind his brother. Technically, he was invited, but he wasn't going to rain of Alfred's 'I did a good deed' parade. He was nice enough to ask him to come along.

"Hi," Matthew warmly greeted him.

"Hello Matthew!" Feliciano greeted him as Ludwig helped him up and hugged him. Matthew smiled; he's seen them both around school but never noticed that they were officially a couple.

"So where to first?" Alfred asked, making a gagging sound at the couple. Matthew frowned, wishing his brother would have some decency.

"Wait," Kiku said, everyone else looked at him, confused.

"Wait on what?" Feliciano asked.

"Hey Arthur, over here," Kiku called, Matthew looked up to see his oldest brother walking towards them.

"Shit, Kiku, you invited Arthur? Why? How?!" Alfred grabbed Kiku's shoulders and shook him.

"I have art with him," Kiku explained. "He let me borrow a pencil, so I invited him."

"Shit shit shit shit," Alfred grumbled.

"Alfred, what's the big deal?" Matthew asked, grabbing his brother's arm.

"Hello Kiku, friends, Matthew, Alfred, I didn't know you were going to be here," Arthur noted.

"I didn't know you were going to be here either," Alfred responded.

"He invited me, we have art together,"

"Yeah," Alfred said, rolling his eyes.

"Let's go check out Main Street first," Feliciano interrupted.

"I was going to suggest that," Matthew replied.

"Awesome! Let's go!" Everyone followed after Feliciano headed towards the front gate of Main Street. Matthew took out his phone, which had been vibrating in his pocket for the past several minutes.

(11:34) From Ivan:  
Sorry, forgot to reply. With Francis.

(11:37) From Ivan:  
He keeps singing. Where is the off button

(11:42) From Ivan:  
We just drove past Antonio and Lovino. Francis honked. A lot.

(11:43) From Ivan:  
I think Lovino is still angry.

* * *

_In January, he recalls making out with a stranger one night but he wouldn't be able to recall a name. Though, he does remember the night he got in a fight with a friend of Emil Bondevik's friend's cousin or something like that._

_February, March, April and May were all about the same; drinking, picking fights, waking up with unfamiliar bruises and bite marks. There wasn't another night of sleeping with the closet light on that year._

* * *

Matthew loved Main Street; in their average town, it provided a nice spot to hang out and shop at the many stores that filled up every space possible. During the summer months, it's completely crowded, but very quiet when fall and winter comes around. He's only been twice with Francis for shopping and several times with his family for dinner.

He followed the group of loudly-chatting friends into an old antique store. When he spotted a basket of bows on a shelf, he instantly got an idea. He picked up a small, purple one and pined it on the middle of his head. Looking in the mirror, he laughed to himself before he took a quick picture.

(11:49) To Ivan:  
(Picture attachment)  
Who can be mad at this, though?

Matthew caught up to Arthur. "Hey, Arthur," his brother turned around and smiled at him.

"Nice bow," he frilled up Matthew's hair.

"All you need is a monocle and mustache!" Alfred laughed, causing the two to turn their attention to the others. Feliciano, wearing a tall top hat, responded to him by laughing. Arthur picked up a princess crown and put it on Alfred. Turning around to a mirror, he frowned. "I'm not a princess," he whined.

Matthew spotted a royal crown; he picked it up and showed it to Arthur. "Look what I found!" Arthur leaned down so Matthew can set it on his head.

"You all look so stupid," Ludwig laughed. Feliciano snuck up from behind and put a fluffy pink winter hat on him.

"And now you do, too," Feliciano giggled, hugging his boyfriend.

"Hey guys, look over there," Kiku called and pointed. Everyone looked towards where Kiku's finger was pointing when a man took a picture of them. "Thank you," the man nodded and handed the camera to Kiku.

"Woah, woah," Alfred exclaimed. "Please warn us better next time!"

"What does the picture look like, anyway?" Matthew asked. Kiku looked down at the camera and opened up the file. On the left side, there was Feliciano smiling, holding onto Ludwig, who had a confused look on his face. Next to them was Kiku, posing for the picture. On the other side were Arthur and Alfred with shocked expression, not expecting the picture, and Matthew smiling and halfway hidden behind Arthur.

"Not too bad," Feliciano chirped.

"I like it," Matthew uttered.

"I look ridiculous," Arthur sighed. Kiku put the camera down.

"I meant to warn you guys, but I forgot,"

"It's okay," Ludwig replied, taking off the hat. "Let's take some more." Playing around with more hats, masks and scarves, they took more pictures. The shop owner stopped them after about 10 minutes of playing around and asked them to leave. The group stood outside the shop subsequently.

"You know, this reminds me of the time when Lovino got us blacklisted from a supermarket before," Feliciano exclaimed. "He attacked someone for taking the last frozen lasagna."

"Alfred once got us kicked out of shop on the boardwalk," Arthur laughed.

"That was a long time ago!" Alfred complained.

"That was last month," Matthew giggled, Alfred covered up the boy's mouth.

"Shh." After Alfred's hand withdrew, Matthew suddenly remembered he hadn't checked his phone in a while.

(11:52) From Ivan:  
(Picture attachment)  
We can't.

Matthew downloaded the picture and opened it; it was a picture of Francis and Ivan, smiling kindly at the camera. Saving it, Matthew typed out a quick reply.

(12:16) To Ivan:  
:)

* * *

_High School came very, very fast. On the first day of his freshmen year, Ivan said goodbye to his friends and left to find his first class. He searched through numerous halls, looking up and back down at the confusing map of the building._

"_Hey! Hey!" Ivan turned his head as a stranger approached him. "I need map, please?" He looked bewildered at the other as he spoke very loudly. He looked older than him, but he was much shorter. He had long brown hair that was tied back and handsome brown eyes._

"_Oh, sure," Ivan forced a frown. Way to be even later, he thought. The man snatched the paper and looked at it, turning it clockwise and back, squinting his dark eyes at it._

"_Room 204?" he questioned, pointing at a square._

"_I can't help you, I'm lost, too." Ivan responded, taking back the map. The other bounced in place, impatiently. "But I think I passed it,"_

"_Ass!"_

* * *

Matthew instantaneously dashed over to the lollipops after being led into a candy store afterwards. He grabbed a plastic bag and began stuffing it with one of every flavor. _Can I afford this?_ Matthew thought and stopped before he glanced at his bag of colorful candies_. I could probably ask Arthur or Alfred to lend me some cash if I can't_. He picked up a large yellow swirled lollipop and gave it a good look. _So perfect_, he thought. He almost didn't notice the sudden pressure on his foot until his cheek brushed up against some fabric.

"Ah, ouch!" he groaned as the man next to him quickly moved his foot off of Matthew's.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I-" he stopped as Matthew looked up at him. "Matthew?"

"Ivan?" Ivan smiled at him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Francis." Francis appeared out from behind Ivan and waved.

"What happened to the bow, Matthew? It was cute." Francis asked.

"I put it back."

"Is your foot okay?" Ivan questioned, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, it's fine."

"I'll carry you around if it isn't," Francis joked.

"That won't be necessary," Matthew laughed. "I'm okay."

"I can at least buy your candy for you," Ivan offered.

"Why?"

"I stepped on your foot…"

"You don't have to," the voices sounding behind him told him everyone was already checking out.

"Oh, your brother is here," Francis pointed out, looking over at the crowd.

"Both of them are," Francis and Ivan stayed with Matthew as went to his brothers. "Hey guys, look what I found!" He told Arthur and Alfred, holding up his large lollipop.

Arthur and Alfred took one look at Matthew, then Francis, then back at Matthew, once at Ivan and onto Francis again, almost in synchronized motions.

"We came in here for candy, not that!" Arthur pointed to Francis.

"Woah woah," Francis put his hands up defensively. "Ivan isn't that bad,"

"Da, I even offered to pay for Matvey's candy after stepping on his foot," Ivan added, Matthew beamed shyly.

"Psst, whatever," he grumbled at Francis.

"I found a lemon lollipop," Matthew interrupted, holding up a large, yellow lollipop. Feliciano looked closely at it. He was used to Arthur's aggressive attitude towards Francis, but he still wasn't pleased about it.

"That looks pretty!" Arthur told him, losing the angry tone of his voice and looking closely at it.

"Who are those guys?" Kiku asked, turning heads.

"Oh, I'm Francis Bonnefoy." Francis smiled.

"I'm Ivan, nice to meet you," Ivan replied.

"I'm Kiku," he greeted.

"Oh you must be new, there's this amazing restaurant you must try!" Francis exclaimed. "Here, let me pay for your stuff, too!" He took the lollipop out of Matthew's hands and put his arm around Kiku.

After paying, they left the candy store. Francis was going on and on about the restaurants and food to Kiku while they walked when he lifted up the camera he was holding and snapped a picture of him.

"Woah," he looked stunned for a minute, Ivan looked at the camera from over his shoulder. "Let me see that," Kiku handed him the camera. He gave it a good look.

"Very nice," Francis started taking pictures of Kiku, then of himself and Ivan, who gave the camera curious looks. Matthew joined them for a few shots.

"Hey, hey," Alfred calls, posing on the fountain. "Take a picture of me like this!" Francis laughed and took a few shots. Ivan ran over and posed like he was about to push Alfred in. Frowning, Alfred sprinted up behind him and did the same; only he looked like he was sincerely trying to push Ivan into the fountain.

After a few shots, Francis began teasing Feliciano and Ludwig about getting pictures of them. While Ludwig seemed shy, Feliciano played along. Matthew smiled at the couple.

"You two are so cute," Matthew told them when Feliciano gave his boyfriend another kiss.

"And kinda gross," Alfred complained. "Yuck!"

"Oh shut up, haven't you ever been in love?" Francis teased at him, making a kissy face. Alfred made a face at him.

"Oh, quiet," Arthur interfered. "You're so annoying,"

"Arthur, Arthur," Francis put his arm around him, grinning widely. "Why don't you just make me?" Everyone went silent, except Ivan, who silently muttered "Oohhh…" Alfred walked over and hit Francis in the arm. Francis barely flinched at the hit, laughing a little bit.

"Or I can," Alfred said, frustrated. Francis let go of Arthur and planted a kiss on Alfred's forehead. Alfred's face flushed and instantly went silent.

"Okay, who's hungry?" Francis asked, walking away from Alfred and approaching Matthew and Ivan.

"Oh, I am," Matthew replied. Francis patted his friend's head gently. After gathering the rest of the group, they headed over to the restaurant.

* * *

_At lunch, Ivan sat down by Maks and Lukas._

"_I was so lost this morning, I ended up like, fifteen minutes late for English," Ivan told them._

"_Did nobody mention it was in a separate building?" Maks asked._

"_Nope," he responded. "And the only person that was available to ask was lost, too, and he didn't speak English well."_

"_Oh, Yao Wang?" Lukas looked up from his tray._

"_Is that his name?" Mathias sat down in front of the three._

"_Who are we talking about?" Mathias cut in._

"_Yao Wang, you know, that guy that's been here for a year now and still doesn't speak English?"_

"_Oh him, well he speaks enough, he'll be here for one last year before going back to China."_

"_Foreign-exchange student?" Ivan questioned._

"_Yeah," Lukas answered. Ivan thought about earlier that day, when he took Yao to find the room. The guy attempted to speak to him, but nothing went through correctly. When they did find the room a few minutes later, Yao had jumped and twirled into the room. He's pretty interesting, Ivan thought to himself._

* * *

"Ivan, you know Arthur's staring right at us?" Matthew took a couple of more glimpses towards the direction of his brothers and back to Ivan. The other was sitting close enough for their arms to be touching. The breeze from the lake and the cold, fall air sent chills through Matthew.

The day was packed with shopping, karaoke, building sand castles, and even a museum trip. Alfred just had to bring up the idea of going out onto the lake. Matthew yawned and wiped his sleepy eyes. He was ready to go home and rest.

Matthew, Francis, and Ivan all shared a boat. While Francis sat by himself, Ivan and Matthew sat by each other and chatted. Arthur and Alfred sat on a separate boat, though that didn't stop Arthur from keeping an eye on his brother.

"I wasn't going to do anything," Ivan replied.

"There you see her…" Francis sung as he watched them from the other side of the boat. "Sitting there across the way!"

"Oh Francis, no," Matthew covered his face with his hands.

"I was just reminded of that little mermaid scene, come on now!" Francis laughed. "She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her!" He continued to sing.

Ivan leaned over to Matthew. "And you don't know why, but you're dying to try"

"Oh no, not you, too!" Matthew responded, not looking up from his hands.

"You wanna kiss the girl!" Ivan and Francis both sang on the top of their lungs.

"No!"

"Hey Matthew," Francis stepped over to them.

"What is it? Another song?" Matthew asked, sarcastically.

"No, I wanted to ask you if you knew something."

"What's this something?"

"It's a secret."

"Really? I probably don't."

"Of course not, you would have already taken action if you did."

Matthew put his hands down. "Huh?"

"There's something about Ivan that you should know."

"There… Is?" Both Ivan and Matthew asked.

"Yeah," Francis grabbed Ivan's shirt before he can get away. "He's ticklish!" Francis began tickling him. Ivan laughed vocally and tried pushing him away. Matthew joined in, happy that he was no longer the only ticklish person around.

"Hey! Hey!" Arthur yelled. Matthew looked at him as he began yelling at them. Neither of them knew what he was saying.

"What about his broth?" Francis asked, squinting at Matthew's brother.

"I thought he said pot head," Ivan whispered.

"Hush! I can't hear him," Alfred stood up and grabbed him. They both fell backwards back into the boat. "Oh, maybe it wasn't important."

After docking the boat, the three made their way back onto the land. Arthur got off his boat and grabbed onto Matthew's arm.

"French nonsense," Arthur scoffed under his breath.

"What?" Matthew questioned.

"Nothing," Matthew turned around and waved goodbye at Ivan and Francis. Alfred approached them. "Matthew, are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"I guess," Alfred took his arm from Arthur and walked to their bags.

"You know, you could invite that one over if you like," Matthew looked up from his bag of candy to his grinning brother.

"Huh?"

"Kiku's staying the night so I thought you might want Ivan over," he told him. "If you want," Matthew was both confused and happy Alfred mentioned that idea. "We can run by his house to pick up his stuff if we have to,"

Matthew didn't stop and question why he offered. "Okay, I'll go ask." He scampered over to Ivan, who was kneeled down in front of things with his phone in his hand.

"Hey Matthew," he looked up and greeted him.

"Hey Ivan," Matthew chirped. "Are you interested in coming over?"

Ivan looked up at him, giving him probably the same happy but confused look that Matthew had given to Alfred. "Can I?"

"Yeah, we can go by your house and get clothes if you need to,"

"Okay, sounds great, let me go tell Francis he doesn't need to bring me home then," Ivan sprang up and hugged Matthew quickly before running off to Francis. As he watched Ivan leave, he couldn't help but wonder why Alfred had offered. He had always been a good brother, most of the time at least, but Matthew knew he might be up to something. He let go of the thoughts when Ivan came back over to him.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready," Ivan replied.

"I'm not so sure if you are," Matthew smiled. "Alfred's a bad driver."

* * *

_Every morning, Ivan would see Yao wondering the hallways or through the library. He had gym class with him, but he spent most of his time talking to Leon and Emil. Ivan found him more fascinating than he initially thought, and somewhat infatuating._

_It took a week for Yao Wang to be the only thing on his mind._

* * *

**Punch me in the arm, please. I really wanted to have this up earlier but I hated this chapter. I hated writing this chapter for _Sweet, Sweet Feliciano_, too. But hey, it's over now. Will be back with the romance and angst very soon, I _promise_.**

**Have a good day, friends!**


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